Waco History Reimagined

A new future for The Helen Marie Taylor Museum: The Life and History of Waco

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The Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan County History - Future Rendering
The Taylor Museum - McLennan Co., Waco, TX - Museum Activites
The Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan County, Waco, TX - Tour the Museum

Mission Statement

A Vision with a Purpose

Fulfill the mission, “The Taylor Museum of Waco and McLennan County History is a multi-functional resource center where teaching and learning activities occur: bringing people together for multi-cultural educational experiences.”

Achieve the goals and purposes of a museum that represents the entirety of the history and diverse ethnicities that occupied Central Texas over time at a crossroads of environmental and cultural identities where we stand today.

Pursue numerous opportunities for the grounds, the trees, the springs, the archaeological interpretations, the historical associations and to accomplish the presentation and preservation of the various heritages we all share.

Take advantage of the extraordinary location contributing to and complementing downtown Waco.

Collaborate with sister institutions in the promotion and development of tourism and local attendance at new and exciting venues for the benefit of visitors from around the world.

Reach and involve the Central Texas communities in sharing their histories through the museum and its exhibits.

Phase 1

Interpretation and Renovation of one of Waco’s Most Historic Sites and Structures

1824 – The Indigenous Peoples were recorded where the Museum now sits by Thomas Duke, who in his report to Sam Houston stated that, “they have a spring almost as cold as ice itself, all we need is some brandy and sugar for a toddy”, adding, “they have about 60 houses, 400 acres of beans, melons, pumpkins and corn all in good order with only about 100 warriors”
1830 – During this period the Mexican forces and the advance of the Texians were encroaching into the region and Waco/Wi-iko residents were attacked by the Cherokees and forced to abandon their village at this location
1849 – With the survey done by George Erath, Jacob de Cordova lays out the Village of Waco selling lots for $5 inside the community and $3 an acre for farmland with lots identified for schools, churches and commons at no cost
1850 – Waco Village is established as the County Seat of McLennan County and the United States establishes its first Post Office
1856 – The City of Waco is incorporated
1866 – The first Freedman’s Bureau School is built on the grounds
1890 – A structure is erected for Colored students called North Seventh Street School
1906-1912 – Additional portions of the North Seventh Street Negro School were constructed on the site
1939 – The original structures were demolished making way for a new school
1942 – The existing building was completed and renamed Barron Springs School
1954 – The final addition to the complex was completed

Mrs. Taylor’s Involvement
1986 – Mrs. Taylor purchases the school and surrounding property which includes Barron Springs
1993 – The Helen Marie Taylor Museum: The Life and History of Waco opens
1994 – The Davidian, Branch Davidian and Koreshian exhibit is added to the Museum at the request of the City of Waco and produced by the Museum Association of Waco by the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University
1998 – The Museum is closed to the public except by appointment only
2022 – Mrs. Taylor passes away at the age of 98
2023 – The Helen Marie Taylor Charitable Trust begins the effort to establish the culmination of her vision with Legacy Museum Consulting and the Long Range Master Plan is submitted
2024 – The conceptual exhibits design by Southwest Museum Services is completed

The Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan County TX - Mrs. Taylor’s Involvement
Phase 2

Completion of spaces for new exhibits, programming and operations with a professional staff, a new board of trustees, advisory council, volunteers and associations for the betterment of recording, preserving and publishing the cultural heritages of McLennan County and adjoining areas encompassing:

  • Geology
  • Paleontology
  • Archaeology
  • Native Americans
  • European immigrants
  • Mexican American and Hispanic heritage
  • Pioneers
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Builders of the communities within the region
  • Events that changed the lives of the citizens
  • Modern culture and institutions
  • Music and art traditions
  • Helen Marie Taylor Tribute with an animated George Washington welcoming visitors
  • A gift shop offering an extension of the exhibits and educational mission of the museum
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Museum Reimagined - Archaeology Exhibition
Animatronic archaeologist will have an introductory description of the excavation, tools and artifacts found in each level and how we know what ages are represented. She will also be able to answer questions from the monitor.
Phase 3

Creative and innovative new exhibits through display technologies, interactive systems and programming

  • Children’s Discovery Modules
  • Exploration of the crossroads of both natural and cultural history and the ethnic identities of Central Texas.
  • Landforms of the geologic past
  • Dinosaurs — both land dwelling and swimming
  • The Pleistocene flora and fauna including mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses, giant bison, dire wolves, saber tooth cats and many other species
  • The first indigenous peoples — Paleo Period
  • Adaptations of the Archaic Period
  • Transitions into the Formative Period
  • The Contact Period — initial interactions and recording of modern tribes and affiliations by early explorers and traders
  • Expansion — intruders from outside — settlers and visionaries
  • The birth of a county and the communities that followed
  • The businesses, educational and religious institutions and special interest organizations that helped make Waco the center of Central Texas
  • A TIMELINE™ that can be used as a teaching experience for area students of events from around the world including U.S., Texas and local perspectives
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Museum Reimagined Cretaceous Sea Exhibit
Phase 3+

Opportunities to visit new worlds through traveling exhibits

  • Temporary and traveling exhibitions from local collections and research to Smithsonian presentations of 5,000 square feet
  • A multi-purpose room for regular distinguished lectures, film series, conferences, symposia and special events

Traveling Smithsonian Exhibitions

The American Presidency
The First Ladies
The Electric Dr. Franklin
Many Voices, One Nation
The Price of Freedom
Rallying Against Racism
The Star-Spangled Banner

Other Traveling Exhibitions

Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary
Becoming the United States
Frederick Douglass: Advocate for Equality
Freedom: A History of the United States
Immigration: An American Story
World War I and America
Who can Vote? Voting Rights in the United States

Taylor Museum - Waco, Texas - We Can Do It! Women Poster
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Uncle Sam Image
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - The Museum Re-Imagined
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Benjamin Franklin Portrait
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Freedman Sketch
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum - Postcard Image
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum McLennan Co., TX - Stamp Collection
The Helen Marie Taylor Museum Waco, TX - Flag Stamp Image
The Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan Co., Waco, TX - Discovery and Learning Center

Discovery and Learning Center

By sponsoring the Central Texas Historical Association, the Museum will become a major resource and be at the forefront of:

  • Researching the relevant, often missing, historical facts that need to be brought to light for society as a whole.
  • Holding annual meetings where the individual historians, both professional and vocational, present their research findings.
  • Publish proceedings for review and comment to generate greater awareness of and appreciation for the region's past.
  • Continue to develop a comprehensive library of papers, theses, articles and books related to the region and other historical information that impacted the lives of Texans.
  • Establish an occasional papers series focusing on environmental and cultural changes over time.

How you can participate

Building now to preserve the past, record the present and provide perspective for the future

Become a member of the Taylor Museum Association at one of these levels:

  • Student ($5)
  • Individual ($25)
  • Family ($50)
  • Supporting ($100)
  • Sustaining ($500)
  • Civic Organizations ($100)
  • Corporate Entities ($1,000)
  • Charter Lifetime ($1,500)
  • Honorary and Emeritus members admitted free for life

In addition, consider volunteering in one of the focus areas, children's educational modules and outreach programming to regional schools; or wherever there is a need.

Contribute information, provide books for library enhancement, help identify individuals to give oral histories or donate relevant cultural materials that have important historical context for interpretative purposes.

The Taylor Museum Waco - McLennan Co, TX - Location -701 Jefferson Avenue Waco, Texas 76701

A Citizen’s Investment: Add to the Legacy

Naming opportunities

Each Exhibit Hall (2)$500,000 each
Temporary/Traveling Exhibition Gallery$500,000
Entry – Information – Reception – Gift Shop$250,000
Theater/Multi-purpose Space$100,000
Interactive Modules (6)$75,000 each
Library/Research/Resource Center$50,000
Collections Management Area$50,000
Exhibit Galleries (8)$50,000 each
Offices (5)$25,000 each
Individual Paving Bricks$50.00 each

(Provided to all of the above donors)

All monetary contributions, endowments, wills, trusts and other donor financial plans will receive the following recognition honors:
Partner$1,500 and up
Endorser$2,500 and up
Supporter$5,000 and up
Colleague$10,000 and up
Contributor$25,000 and up
Affiliate$50,000 and up
Fellow$100,000 and up
Advocate$150,000 and up
Patron$200,000 and up
Benefactor$250,000 and up
Guarantor$500,000 and up
Illuminator$1,000,000 and up
The Taylor Museum Waco- McLennan Co, TX - Interactive Kiosk Design
The Taylor Museum - McLennan Co, TX - Brown Red Square

Mission Statement

Virtual Donor & Citizen Recognition

An interactive kiosk designed to present images of participants, their families and places of significance as a living record of the Greater Waco community. Different than a name on a brick, images of the donors provide a more personal recognition than standard bricks. A suggested donation to the museum enables community members to have the museum staff add photos and names to the kiosk.

All museum visitors will be able to explore the people and families who participated in fundraising for The Taylor Museum of Waco and McLennan County History. Each visitor will select which family they would like to view by name, then be able to look through each of the photos added to the database.

The kiosk will be programmed to easily add new photos or expand current donor content.

Support us

A tribute room for Helen Marie Taylor's commitment and desire to share the history of Waco as well as the importance of the Constitution of the United States with the citizens of the region.

The Taylor Museum Waco - McLennan Co, TX - Mrs Helen Marie Taylor Exhibit

Helen Marie Taylor Tribute with an animated George Washington welcoming visitors

The Taylor Museum of Waco & McLennan County History - George Washington Portrait

Floor Plans for Renovated Entrance and Spaces

Floor plans for the newly renovated entrance and spaces for the lobby, reception, offices, exhibits galleries, museum store, research/resource center, theater/multi-purpose area and collections management requirements:

Find out more
The Taylor Museum Waco McLennan Co., Waco, TX - Floor Plans for Renovated

Neil McLennan Family seeking a homesite
(From the WPA mural in the Mart, Texas post office)
Artist: Jose Aceves

For additional information or to discuss a contribution, contact:

Bobby Horner, Chairman of the Board
McLennan County Historical Commission as Vice Chair
Taylor Museum of Waco and McLennan County History Board of Directors
Member of Historic Waco Society
Jacob DeCordova Society Steering Committee
254-405-3310

Helen Howell-Graves, Executive Director
Taylor Museum of Waco and McLennan County History
(252) 752-4774

Calvin B. Smith, Consultant
Legacy Museum Consulting
(719) 252-6714

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